Boltby is well situated at the base of the western escarpment of the Hambleton Hills, three miles north of Sutton Bank. Gurt of Beck flows through the village, and its valley cuts into the hills for a mile north of the village.
The Cleveland Way runs just east of the village and can be reached via several footpaths.
Boltby Moor reaches out west from the main bulk of the Hambleton Hills. A path leads north out of the village close to Gurt of Beck, before reaching Windy Gill Rigg.
Boltby is on Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL26 (North Yorks Moors Western Area)